Jennifer Lynn Metcalf

Jennifer Lynn Metcalf was born on September 17, 1972, in Oakland, California. She was raised with love and influence by her parents, Jimmy Watson McGivney and Karen Debra McGivney; her grandfather, Steven Laine; her great-grandmother, Bertha Laine; and her grandmother, Ellen Mae Coutts —whom she deeply admired, often idolized, and who helped lay the foundation of strength and resilience that would define Jennifer’s life.

Jennifer was brilliance woven through complexity. Driven and magnetic, her laugh was contagious—so full-bodied and unfiltered it could get everyone around her rolling in pain from laughter. She was genuine and authentic, never pretending to be anything other than herself. That sincerity, that raw truth, was part of what made her so beautiful.

In her own way, Jennifer was a warrior. A chain breaker. She fought hard, sometimes too hard. She taught those around her the art of survival with a harsh honesty they didn’t always want, but needed. She passed on a hunger for wisdom that continues to inspire. Fierce, layered, and deeply human, she held both tenderness and fire in the same breath.

She also taught the power of forgiveness and redemption—not always with words, but through the work it took to let go. Those closest to her are grateful for the chance to forgive, to heal, and to share that healing with her before she left this earth.

Her faith in Jesus was imperfect, but it was real. It burned in her own way, lighting a path that made others want to know Him more, to reach deeper, to try harder.

Jennifer chose to leave this world on her own terms. That truth is devastating. It brings sorrow and anger. But even through the grief, her loved ones hold to the hope that she is finally free from the battles that wore her down.

She leaves behind a legacy of laughter, lessons, and unyielding fire. The best of her lives on in those who carry her forward. Here’s to holding a match instead of cursing the dark.

Jennifer is preceded in death by her father, Jimmy McGivney. She is survived by her mother, Karen McGivney; her grandfather, Steven Laine; her children, Heather Lynn Allen, Kayla Lynn Allen, Lindsey Lynn Metcalf, and David James Metcalf; and her granddaughter, Brooke Lynn Stevens.

She was deeply loved and will always be remembered.